BAD: EDISON MIRANDA VS. WILLIE GIBBS AND JASON LITZAU VS. JOSE HERNANDEZ

HBO BOXING AFTER DARK CLOSES OUT 2006 WITH A HOT DOUBLEHEADER.

by Ron Borges

HBO BOXING AFTER DARK closes out its tenth season with a hot doubleheader of up-and-coming fighters when EDISON MIRANDA VS. WILLIE GIBBS AND JASON LITZAU VS. JOSE HERNANDEZ is presented from the Miccosukee Resort in Miami on SATURDAY, DEC. 16 at 9:45 p.m. (ET/PT). The HBO broadcast team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Lennox Lewis will be ringside for the event, which will be presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 17 (10:00 a.m., 5:45 p.m.) and 19 (11:00 p.m.). Times are ET/PT.

The ten-round main event features rising 25-year-old star Edison Miranda (26-1, 23 KOs) of Miami in a middleweight showdown against Willie Gibbs (20-1, 16 KOs) of Philadelphia. With 16 first-round knockouts to his credit, the powerful Miranda is the top-rated challenger in the 160-pound division, and wants to erase the sting of his only pro loss, a controversial decision to middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham on Sept. 23. Gibbs intends to elevate himself to the top ten of this deeply talented division.

The co-feature spotlights a ten-round battle of hard-charging featherweights, as undefeated Jason Litzau (20-0, 18 KOs) of St. Paul, Minn. squares off against Chicago featherweight Jose Hernandez (21-3, 13 KOs). Making his HBO debut, the 23-year-old Litzau is a flashy 126-pounder who is looking to fast-track through the division. Hernandez is a solid, tough featherweight seeking to establish himself in the national spotlight.